MEDIA STATEMENT
BY THE
INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
|
March 12, 2007
IIf you read
newspapers, listen to radio or simply follow
politics in KwaZulu Natal, you will have noticed
that the ANC government has added the word
“overspending” to our daily talk. I have no doubt
that the practice of overspending allocated budgets
will one day become symbolic of this administration.
Unlike the ANC, the IFP believes that KwaZulu Natal
can and should be run like a household. If your
domestic budget cannot cover luxuries, then you
simply cannot have them.
The single biggest example of government overspending is, of course, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs. Its officials truly behave as if money grew on trees. They frequently duplicate services, hire people for jobs that have not been budgeted for, and launch programmes without business plans. All this reveals a shocking lack of respect for the taxpayer who is expected to foot the bill. Now we learn that the ANC administration has overspent in the running of the KwaZulu Natal Provincial Parliament. At the root of the trouble is their Taking Parliament to the People. The idea is to take Parliament, its officials, staff, police protection and the media to a faraway place, bus in the locals, feed them a once-off meal and tell them how lucky they are to have an ANC government. The ANC in Parliament does not mind overspending its budget to indulge the government. These road shows lack substance and the locals do not benefit beyond the once-off meal. Moreover, under the extra workload, Parliament aspires to function as a catering business and a transport system. At the same time, it runs a serious risk of neglecting its core function. We in the IFP believe that Parliament is here to take up issues that concern voters and find solutions. We leave catering to chefs and transport to chauffeurs. Dr Lionel Mtshali MPP Leader of the Official Opposition Contact: Dr Lionel Mtshali, 083 256 4902 |